GAME NOTES: The Jacksonville State Gamecocks will try to find a way back into the win column when they host the Samford Bulldogs this evening in an Ohio Valley Conference tilt at the Peter Mathews Coliseum. The Bulldogs fell to 6-7 on the season with a tough, 63-49 setback to UT-Martin this past Saturday. Despite the loss to the Skyhawks, the Bulldogs are still 3-2 in league action. Next up for Samford will be back-to-back home games against Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech. As for the Gamecocks, they have dropped their last eight games, including an embarrassing, 71-55 loss to Austin Peay. Since the beginning of the of the 2005-06 campaign, the Gamecocks are a mere 19-26 in OVC action, and that includes this season's 0-5 mark against league foes. The Bulldogs hold a solid 49-37 edge over JSU in the all-time series, but in games played in Jacksonville, the Gamecocks have a slim, 22-17 advantage over the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are shooting a strong 47.2 percent from the field this season, but that has led to a mere 60.4 ppg. Joe Ross Merritt is currently the top performer for Samford, as the guard is netting 13.2 ppg. Travis Peterson and Trey Montgomery have also made solid contributions this year, as Peterson is posting 12.8 ppg, while Montgomery is chipping in 10.5 ppg. The last time Samford took the floor the team suffered a 14-point loss to UT-Martin. In the loss the Bulldogs shot 48.5 percent from the field, but finished with just 49 points. Josh Bedwell was the only player in double figures, as the guard tallied 20 points. As for Merritt, he finished with only four points in the loss, while Peterson tallied just five points.

The last time the Gamecocks were on the floor the team scored just 55 points in a 16-point setback to Austin Peay. In the loss, the squad shot 43.5 percent from the field, but made only 8-of-12 shots from the foul line and committed 17 turnovers as well. Nick Murphy was the only player in double-figures in the setback, as the forward posted 20 points. Murphy is only posting 9.6 ppg on the year, but the main scoring option has been Will Ginn, who is netting 10.1 ppg, despite shooting well below 40.0 percent from the floor. J.J. Wesley is the only other player netting double figures, as the guard is chipping in 10.0 ppg.

The Gamecocks will have plenty of trouble trying to score against a tough Samford squad. Although the Bulldogs are on the road, expect them to slide past a weak Jacksonville State team.